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Smart. Speed. Scam?

Have you noticed that almost every new and innovative commercial is strikingly similar? Watch below and try to stifle your laughs:

This mock advertisement points out several stereotypical aspects of recent online or televised video advertisements. These include images such as actors wearing lab coats pretending to be doctors (“See how this guy in a lab coat holds up a beaker? That means we do research), smiling faces of several individuals of different races (We have the perfect mix of white, black, asian and latino people), and a mix of imagery ranging from clean energy windmills to stop motion videos of city night life. The opening line is we take “big words and synonyms for progress, and pair them with footage of a high speed train”. They go on to show footage of workers abroad, displaying how they are “part of the global economy”. Then they show Americans (Look at this blue collar worker with dirt on his face) and bald eagles to symbolize the company’s patriotism. Typically, there is a voice over describing how smart and ahead this company or product is, attempting to give it a sexy or edgy aura.

This is meant to draw a viewer in and give a sense of confidence in the product or company.

Here is an example, by the “sexy” and “innovative: company Apple Inc.:

Notice the male deep voiceover and descriptive imagery, describing how advanced and far ahead of everyone else their technology is. To some this seems attractive and alluring, even urges some consumers to buy the product. Many commend Apple on their marketing and advertising efforts, in their success of making their products seem elite and exclusive to those who represent a certain lifestyle.

After seeing this original video poking fun at the tactics employed by several marketing campaigns, it is easy to notice the methods many companies occasionally abuse. While these ideas are great, consumers are recognizing it is not entirely feasible for everything to be as peachy as these videos make it seem.

So what makes a video campaign successful? Advertisers will have to re-think their methods after this video has gone viral. Consumers could see right through their plan of making everything seem so beautiful and alluring, perhaps the next wave of video ads will be something more realistic and humorous. Or perhaps, these big companies will keep using simply typeface and light messaging to entice viewers regardless of what they think.

What is your opinion on the sleek and sexy tactics? Are they over used, or are they necessary to drive sales? Let me know in the comments below!